Oracle OpenOffice.org vs. TDF LibreOffice

Oracle continues to be at the center of controversy despite their press release stating they will continue to support and release OpenOffice.org as an open source project. Most recently Oracle was vilified by bloggers and the press for asking members of The Document Foundation to resign from OpenOffice.org due to potential conflicts of interest.

Dave Neary, a respected GNOME and GIMP developer, suggests that rush to judgment is not only pre-mature, but possibly incorrect. In a recent blog post Neary stated that the resignation request was made by long-term OpenOffice.org developers and community managers – not by corporate Oracle. He further explained that it was a “proposal,” not a voted decision. “There was no decision to expel anyone” and the proposal didn’t even gain a consensus although there is a clear divide between the OpenOffice.org council and members of The Document Foundation. Neary says many volunteers are confused and feel like they must make a choice between the two.